Naomi Campbell is one of the biggest supermodels in the world, but she says that attaining that level of success in her professional life required some serious personal sacrifices.
“I’d say the sacrifice is really finding that soulmate who will understand you,” the catwalk legend confessed in an interview with New York magazines’ The Cut published Monday. She added, “It’s really like you feel if they look at you as if you’re strong…you know, I’m strong, but I’m also sensitive. I know that in relationships I have to compromise.” While Campbell has never been married and is currently single, she has had a number of high-profile relationships over the years. She was briefly engaged to U2 bassist Adam Clayton in 1993, and later she was engaged to Italian businessman Flavio Briatore before they split in 2002 after four years together. Since then, she’s been linked to stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Usher, Robert De Niro, Liam Payne and Skepta. The supermodel explained that those past experiences have also helped her evolve as a person. “I don’t have a problem looking at myself in the mirror anymore and facing and owning who I am,” she said. “And for sure when I was younger, I wasn’t always using it in the right way. It takes growth.”
But while she may not have found that special someone she wants to spend the rest of her life with, Campbell says she does have a long list of friendships that have withstood the test of time. “I’ve had extremely long friendships that are still very present in my life to this day — 30, 33, 35 years on. I’m grateful for those people in my life. They know me better than anyone.” She’s also “grateful for my mother and our closeness and her understanding.” And that relationship has only deepened now that the model is a mother herself. In May, Campbell announced on Instagram that, “A beautiful little blessing has chosen me to be her mother.” She continued, “So honored to have this gentle soul in my life there are no words to describe the lifelong bond that I now share with you my angel. There is no greater love.”
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